The subject invention relates to a vehicle trim panel assembly having an electrical circuit integrally molded into grooves. The subject invention also relates to the method of fabricating the trim panel with the electrical circuit.
Vehicles typically have a number of trim panels mounted to different interior surfaces to present a pleasing appearance. One common type of trim panel is a door trim panel mounted to the interior surface of a door assembly. Typically, vehicle door assemblies include spaced apart inner and outer panels defining a cavity for mounting a window, window regulator, speakers and other electrical devices. These devices are installed inside the door cavity through a plurality of access openings provided in the door inner panel.
The door trim panel conceals this interior surface of the door. The door trim panel is conventionally formed of a rigid panel, such as molded plastic or pressed hardboard, covered with a flexible decorative trim material such as cloth, vinyl, leather and/or carpeting. The door trim panel is attached to the door by suitable fasteners which creates a pleasing appearance to the occupant.
The door trim panel also often supports a number of electrical components. These components include, lights, window controls, rear view mirror controls, seat adjustment controls, and speakers. Each of these electrical components requires an individual wiring connector and power supply lead wires. The power supply lead wires for all the electrical components are typically bundled together to create what is commonly called a wire harness. The wire harness must be affixed to the trim panel or to the door to eliminate movement of the wires during operating conditions. As can be appreciated, the mounting and wiring of these electrical components is labor intensive and requires a number of connectors and other electrical parts.
Solutions to this problem have been contemplated by the prior art. Specifically, the prior art has proposed the power supply lead wires be mounted, molded, etched, printed, or otherwise affixed to a separate rigid board material. The rigid board is in turn mounted in some fashion to either the trim panel or the door or both. Hence, in these proposals, the door assembly includes the door itself, a rigid board, and then the trim panel. These proposals, however, likewise have a number of deficiencies. One deficiency is the same as with the loose bundle of wires. This solution still requires a significant amount of intensive manual labor to mount the wires to the board, mount the connectors to the board, and then mount the board itself to either the trim panel or the door. Further, additional connectors must be mounted on the board to electrically connect the connectors from the door to the connectors on the trim panel.